In Tribute to Saginaw

In the wake of the tragic loss of Saginaw, Monzante, the name that has come to symbolize all that is wrong with
our sport, was immediately thrown around and comparisons were made. One Twitter
user asked the loaded question, “Shouldn’t we be just as mad about Saginaw
running at 7 as we were about Monzante?”

The answer to that is irrevocably and resoundingly “No!”

The loss of Monzante,
while horrific and tragic, did not come under even vaguely similar
circumstances to today’s heartbreaking accident. Monzante, once a Breeders’ Cup
contender, was in for a $4,000 tag and running for a $8,000 purse. After being
passed from owner to owner and trainer to trainer, he had ended up in a barn of
ill repute, namely that of multiple drug offender Jackie Thacker. His ability to race and will to win had clearly
begun to erode as evidenced by the last 5 races of his career. He went from
winning a $12,500 claimer to finishing 3rd at the next level up to
running 6th after being dropped back down in class. In his second to
last race, he finished 9th and last when in for a $12,500 tag. We
all know the result of his very last race.

Saginaw’s tale reads much differently.

Saginaw was beloved by everyone. Since Drawing Away Stable
and trainer David Jacobson claimed
the gutsy gelding, he quickly rocketed to the top in terms of popularity. Fans
loved to see the “Win Machine” race and win, and he was a barn favorite for
many of his connections. Owner Robert Hachemeister once described the gelding
as “gentle as a stable pony” around the barn and revealed a heart-warming
anecdote about how docile Saginaw was around his pregnant wife and, later, his
young daughter.

Part of his success came as a direct result of smart
management. After being claimed, he was moved up in class. He won, so he was
moved up another level. Because he was again successful, he was placed in an
overnight stakes race. He won two of those and was moved up in class again,
this time to take on some heavyweight stakes winners in the G1 Metropolitan Handicap. He finished
sixth and last that day, and rather than try to push him to do more than what
he was capable, DAS and Jacobson dropped him back down to the minor stakes level.
That was where he had much of his success.

The gelding was loved and cherished, and when the time came
for him to retire, he already had a good home lined up. He would be taken care
of for the rest of his days. He had only to let his owners know that he was
ready to hang up his tack and that would be that. There was no pressure for him
to keep racing. He raced because it was what he loved. He won 14 of 17 starts
for DAS and Jacobson, with 11 of those wins coming in stakes races. Clearly he
was a happy and healthy gelding, otherwise he would not have been so
successful.

As for today’s race, it might have been a starter allowance,
but he and his 4 rivals were running for a $70,000 purse, $42,000 of which went
to the winner. The conditions of the race had been written specifically for him
and Caixa Eletronica so that racing
fans could see a match-up that most were anxious to see happen under
circumstances that would be favorable to the two stalwart fixtures of New York
racing. Saginaw was not pushed to race to his death because his owners needed a
pay check. He was entered to race because he loved what he did and the fans
loved watching him.

When he took a bad step in today’s race, jockey Junior
Alvarado did everything he could possibly do to pull him up. At first, the
situation looked promising as a boot was placed on Saginaw’s foot and he walked
into the ambulance. The Saratoga crowd gave their champion a standing ovation
as he was taken off the track, and back at the barns, Saginaw reportedly
attacked his hay net with relish. Then came the devastating news. X-rays
revealed that he had fractured both sesamoids in his left front ankle. Surgery
could be done, but the doctor could only give a 50-50 prognosis for survival
and the chances of him developing founder were high. Rather than letting
Saginaw languish in pain in the selfish hope that he eventually would be okay,
the decision was made to humanely end his suffering. Money was not an issue.
The only thing at play was the comfort of the gelding.

Trying to lump Saginaw and Monzante into the same category
is a gross injustice and an insult to those that loved the son of Peruvian
best. My sincere condolences go out to David Jacobson, Robert Hachemeister,
Sandy Levine, Junior Alvarado, and the rest of the DAS team. He was a champion.
He was the People’s Horse. He was SaginAWESOME. He may be gone, but Saginaw
will live on forever in the hearts of all that loved him.

Older Comments about In Tribute to Saginaw...

Saginaw was and will always be a blue collar example of everything this so wonderful about this sport. Although I never saw him in person, nor met any of his connections, the sheer charisma of his character and the joy that his fans found in his racing brought me to a euphoria every time I got to watch him run. Thank you Ashley for writing such a lovely piece on such a special horse.

I loved this horse from the day I painted that first stroke on his painting. This horse was magical, he brought so many strangers together banding a "Saginaw friendship". RIP Sag, you rocked the track!

Thank you so much for this article, Ashley. All of the ignorant posts are very tiresome. I usually have more paitience, but it's been just about all I can do not to call some of these people out with their ignorant and foolish statements. He was beloved by all who followed him and most especially by his connections. He was a strong, determined, athletic race horse who gave his all every time, not because they made him do it, but because he loved what he did. He'll be missed for many years to come. RIP Saginawsome, you'll be thought of and missed for many years to come.

And I want to add I think it would be Saginawesome to have him win once more This time the VOX POPULI AWARD at end of the year He showed today how he was so much the people's horse as everywhere you looked his picture was being posted and how all those folks at Saratoga were clapping as he left the track to honor him

Related Pages

Despite growing up in a non-horse racing state, Ashley has
been a fan of the sport since a young age. Her love for horse racing was
fostered through the kids’ book series Thoroughbred
by Joanna Campbell, and it was her love of reading and horses that led her to
educate herself on the ins and outs of the sport. Since becoming actively
involved in the industry just a few short years ago, Ashley has had the
opportunity to meet many important players in the industry, attend the Eclipse
Awards, see personal favorite Mucho Macho Man race twice in person, and get to
personally meet and befriend many of the fantastic fans and horsemen involved
in the sport.

Before joining Horse Racing Nation, Ashley created her own
blog Wired with Ashley Paige. The
idea to venture into the world of blogging came to her when she realized that
she had much to say about horse racing and no one to say it to at the time. Ashley began her time with Horse Racing Nation blogging as The Florida Filly. Using that moniker, she mainly covered racing in South Florida but also blogged about nationwide racing, industry issues, and from time to time offered her opinion on how various changes could be beneficial to the industry as a whole. A move north to New Hampshire began both a new chapter in both Ashley's personal life and professional life. She currently pens the new From Coast to Coast blog for HRN, which is simply a revamped version of The Florida Filly. Don't let the new look and name change fool you, though. Ashley still brings to the table the same great coverage as From Coast to Coast as she did for The Florida Filly. Ashley also participates as a voter in the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Polls.

An alumni of Macon State College, Ashley is from Central
Georgia but is currently living in New Hampshire with her husband Chris and their two sons Charlie and Michael. A stay-at-home mom, Ashley juggles parenting with blogging and her other passions. Aside from horse racing, Ashley is a fervent football fan, enjoys reading and studying history, and hopes to someday author a historical work covering the Tudor
period as well as biographies of horse racing’s stars, equine and human alike.